Surf's Up - SURFBOARDS Part 2

My friend Simon Rodgers (Sim-R) already warned me to post something or else... So here's my second installment on the Surfboard design for Surf's Up which by the way is nominated for Oscar Awards in two weeks for best animated film together with Ratatouille and Persepolis. Again, this is a surfing movie and it's a privilege to be the one to design the surfboards for the entire film.


Tank's approved surfboard above came a long way. Looking at these designs below, using his tatoo patterns and very fancy colored boards were tried. But the simpler "Jaws" motif was decided to be the best route to go.




The Japanese surfer's board was a hoot. I started with the obvious - Japanese WW2 patterns. I thought I hit the homerun till our senior 3d visdev modeler, Takao, said this could be very offensive to our Japanese friends. So I went for the high tech penguin version of a surf board which the directors liked. The characters painted on the board (which ended up on the big screen) means "Hannah Rules" - Hannah is my oldest daughter.






We have an Australian dude named Rory which the board design was based from aboriginal tribal patterns on boomerangs.




Last one on the list was the Brazilian surfer whose board has a shark bite. I love how it ended up on he big screen when art director Ron Lukas added loose shark teeth still embedded on the board.

Surf's Up - SURFBOARDS Part 1

One of the most exciting tasks I was given in Surf's Up was to design the surfboards (all except for one, the ice board which was designed by my good friend Marcelo Vignali). Here's my first installment showing designs for the Shrine, Geek/Big Z, Cody, Lani, Chicken Joe and the generic competition (Reggie's) boards. All my board designs are completely done digitally in color with suggested textures using photoshop on top of backgrounds painted by Paul Lasaine, Joty Lam and Noelle Triaureau and characters by Sylvain DeBoissy. All images ©Sony Pictures Animation.


Above: What's left of the surfboard from Big Z's "accident" were put together and turned it into a shrine. Below: My concept for the Big Z board that was used in the film was it's a part of him being "one" with the board. So I used the same flower pattern on his body for the design on his board and it worked.



These next concept designs for Big Z's old boards are based from long boards and patterns used in the 30's-40's. Somehow, long boards for me, signifies age, experience and stability which are what Big Z was all about.




Cody's board has to be plain and simple to stand out and since he built it from scratch with Big Z from a log.


For the earlier concept designs, I used the pointed short board for Cody to show his restless personality and speed.


You'll notice that for Lani, I used a pattern from one of Big Z's shrine concept boards above which has the typical Polynesian "Lilo & Stitch" feel. She uses a medium board which for me signifies a combination of both speed and stability.


The first concept I had for Chicken Joe's "cornboard" was an actual sliced corn cobb that he uses as surfboard. Can you see the "hidden" liger underneath paying homage to his previous Napoleon Dynamite character.


Then for the one used in the film, I figured that since Chicken Joe lives in the backwoods, their surfboard design never changed through the years so the shape of his board was patterned from the old longboards with flat tips circa 1920's. Notice the hammer marks and nails sticking out on the deck.


Reggie is a very flashy, flamboyant promoter so the surfboards he issues to surfers have to reflect his personality. That's why they're painted with bright colors (has the plastic feel like Reggie's character) and has his logo (which is his face) on each one (for he's full of himself). Again short board is my choice to show speed and competition.



More surfboards to come and HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL...

Locals Luau/Surf's Up DVD and Blue Ray out!

©Sony Pictures Animation.
It's here! For those of you who haven't seen Surf's Up yet, here's your chance to do so. The Surf's Up DVD and Blue Ray discs are finally out Tuesday, October 9th. In line with the release, here are a couple of artworks from the movie titled "Locals Luau". The first one is the concept art where the luau is happening inland away from the beach. Notice the "Lady and the Tramp" moment between Cody and Lani. But instead of spaghetti, they're eating a squid of course. The local inhabitants of the island are having a luau mixed with dolphin rodeo and a carnival (sort of like the LA County fair penguin style) on the background. The second one is an overview if it's happening by the beach and more commercialized. Unfortunately, this sequence was on till halfway through production then the directors decided to take it out. Anyway, enjoy the movie.

Tropical Jungle Design Part 1 - Surf's Up

©Sony Pictures Animation/Columbia Pictures.
Part of my job in Surf's Up was to design the interior of the jungle. The task was to create a sequence illustration that would visually represent the whole jungle sequence. The middle and bottom images were part of my very early studies for the elements that would populate the jungle. The verticality of the vines appeals to me big time and decided to use them a lot. Also, photos from a hiking trip in the jungles of Palawan back in 1992 in the Philippines came in very handy to remember the experience of how it is inside a dense tropical rainforest. The product is the illustration on top where Geek travels with Cody back to his secret home.

Surf's Up!

©Sony Pictures Animation.
Finally after three years, here it is! Definitely the best looking animated film that came out in the last couple of years. Enjoy the movie.

Surf's Up Book

©Sony Pictures Animation/Columbia Pictures.
If you haven't gotten it yet, head on to Barnes & Nobles or Amazon and
grab Surf's Up - The Art and Making Of A True Story. It has loads of visual development pieces from the earliest concept designs to designing the waves. Here's a sample of my artwork inside - one of the main characters sitting on his ritualistic sandcastle while chanting to call the waves. Done in prismacolor on vellum. Enjoy the book. Below is the original Surf's Up design team doing research atthe Quicksilver surfing competition in San Onofre, California back in summer 2004. (l-r) Sylvain Deboissy, Paul Lasaine, Marcelo Vignali, Armand Serrano, and Ron Lukas.
Make a note on your calendars - movie comes out in the US and Canada on June 8. For worldwide release dates, click here.

SURF'S UP Trailer 2 in HD

©Columbia Pictures.
Here's a better site for the second trailer in Quicktime HD. Click the image to watch.

SURF'S UP Film Clip

©Columbia Pictures.
By the way, you can view the new second trailer at THIS SITE. Enjoy

SURF'S UP Trailer!

Hello all! The very first Surf's Up trailer is debuting in front of Open Season. You can already view the trailer by clicking here. It's spectacular!...penguins don't dance, they surf!